Senior Bowl thoughts

[ksudodger]

Watched the Senior Bowl this weekend and saw a TON of talent. Here are a few of my notes:

1. Garrett Grayson has EASILY passed Bryce Petty as the guy I would want if I was Snead. He was poised, comfortable under Center and in the pistol, and accurate as all hell. Petty did not look comfortable at all, threw off his back foot a few times and got picked off. Mannion also looked very good as well. Grayson is starting to remind me of Joe Flacco. He could be our 3rd round QB pick this year instead of Petty.

2. The South starting offensive line was RIDICULOUS!!!! Lael Collins at RT, Tre Jackson at RG, Reese Dismukes at Center and Arie Koundjio at LG.... fingers crossed that 2 of those cats end up as Rams in the fall.

3. Tyler Lockett is going to be a hell of a WR and KR in the NFL. As a WR, he reminds me of a smaller but faster version of Anquan Boldin. As a KR and PR he is simply the best guy coming out in this draft.

4. Martrell Spaight and Jordan Hicks made a case to be picked in the middle rounds at OLB after their performances. They were two of the tacklers in the game.

Please PLEASE pray that Snead (or someone who works for him!) was watching this as intently as I was.

 

[TEB11]

ksu, I saw Garrett Grayson play twice this season live against Colorado and Air Force. I like the guy alot. Rams would be crazy not to take this guy if Jeff Fisher sticks to his guns on his statement "there will be another QB competing next season that's not in the building!" He has great size and has a rocket of an arm ala Andrew Luck!

 

[TEB11]

.....lets just hope John Elway lets him leave the state. The Bronco brass are high on this kid.

 

[Retroram52]

Well, we just lost Brian Heimendinger (consultant for scouting) to the Jets so we may be in some trouble when it comes to player selection recommendations.

 

[shopson67]

I didn't like what I saw of Mannion personally. He looks like he's throwing underwater, for lack of a better description. He's got a slow wind up and looks like he's putting all his effort into throwing the ball on even intermediate throws.

Petty improved as the game went along, but did have a slow start. I didn't see much of Grayson, but I was bouncing back and forth between the Senior Bowl and college basketball. Carden wasn't bad, but didn't impress either.

 

[ksudodger]

I didn't like what I saw of Mannion personally. He looks like he's throwing underwater, for lack of a better description. He's got a slow wind up and looks like he's putting all his effort into throwing the ball on even intermediate throws.

You know, I noticed that as well Shop. You can work on a quick release but his overall mechanics are solid. Still a late day 3 guy though.

 

[ksudodger]

ksu, I saw Garrett Grayson play twice this season live against Colorado and Air Force. I like the guy alot. Rams would be crazy not to take this guy if Jeff Fisher sticks to his guns on his statement "there will be another QB competing next season that's not in the building!" He has great size and has a rocket of an arm ala Andrew Luck!

I know you say the Broncos brass are high on this kid, but they said the same thing about Osweiler as well. My guess is he will be there when we pick at #8 in round 3 (number 72 overall) but I can also see us going back up into the 2nd round JUST ahead of Denver to snag him too.

 

[jacobarch]

Here's what I saw out of the QBs

Petty - Very inconsistent, doesn't offer anything Austin Davis already offers. He rarely hit his targets and often over threw them. He also looked lost stepping up in the pocket which is a common thing among QB's coming out of a spread formation.
I wanted to see Petty take more snaps from under center to see his drop back. Getting these QB's out of their comfort zone really shows who they are as a QB.

Mannion - Besides his slow wind up I really liked the way he played. Reminded me a lot of AJ McCarron. Accurate, had a nice drop back and slid well in the pocket. His release will be a problem in the NFL as we see with Cam Newton all of the time on timing routes.

Grayson - IMO he didn't look any better than Mannion. He seemed to bail out of the pocket more often and take off running which can be fixed in the NFL. Pretty good accuracy but also had a slower wind up and seemed to be pushing the ball rather than throwing it. Seemed pretty mobile which can be a good thing with the current Rams Oline. Again I don't think he offers a ton of upside that Austin Davis doesn't already have.

 

[ksudodger]

^^^^^ sounds like someone is a BIG Austin Davis HONK!! Just messing with ya.

But in all seriousness, you need to come to grips with Davis not being a Ram. He will not be resigned. And I disagree with you on Grayson. His delivery was MUCH faster than Mannion. His footwork was better than any QB there other than Carden. He has enough mobility to where he reminds me of a smaller Big Ben, meaning I think he can avoid defenders and still set and get a pass off. I am very high on this guy and obviously prognosticators agree with me because I have looked at 6 different QB rankings today and he is now the #4 QB in all 6 rankings behind Winston,Mariota and Hundley...
But we can agree to disagree!!

 

[icefreeze57]

Yes, I love Grayson, think he can be an NFL starter someday.

And all I'd love to spend both picks on day two on SEC linemen! Grab an OG and a Center sure up our line!

Interesting note about Hicks, he's a player we may end up getting the opportunity to draft in the later rounds

 

[Retroram52]

Nice compliation analysis of the potential QBs jacobarch. I was on the Petty bandwagon but his post-season play has been nothing short of horrendous. I am going to have to hitch my wagon to someone else of whom I have not decided.

IceFreeze, man do I get stoked when I think about those SEC lineman I saw in the Senior bowl. Collins, Dismukes, Kouandijo-badass and more badass. I wish we would take all three. If we do not get one of them, I will be in my weight room here at the house throwing around some serious iron cursing out Fisher and Snead for alot of things, none of which will be complimentary.

 

[shopson67]

I think Petty has more arm talent than the others, but may take more time to adjust away from the spread. At least he knows his issues and is already working with a QB guru to improve. He seems have the necessary drive to improve.

I didn't really see any quotes from the other QBs, so it's tough to compare in that regard.

 

[SJ76]

I didn't see it. I still like the QB from south Alabama

 

[shopson67]

I didn't see it. I still like the QB from south Alabama

He's a definite developmental prospect though, will need more than 1 year behind Bradford (or whomever). Tough to jump from the South Alabama Jaguars of the Sun Belt conference to NFL competition.

 

[SJ76]

Flacco did it. Big Ben did it.

I agree he needs time but he's got a lot of tools

 

[shopson67]

Flacco did it. Big Ben did it.

I agree he needs time but he's got a lot of tools

They were projected 1st rounders. Brandon Bridge is a projected 7th rounder or UDFA. There has NEVER been a player drafted from South Alabama.

"He's as raw as he is talented," an AFC North scout told NFLDraftScout.com. "The ball shoots off his hand and he has some traits you cannot teach. I'm just not sure how naturally the game comes to him. How much better can he get? What is his football ceiling? I'm not sure. But he could end up being a bargain for a team that brings him along at his pace."

Bridge was invited to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Los Angeles, and said he would definitely consider the CFL if he isn't selected in the NFL Draft.

"My arm strength is one of my biggest strengths," he said. "I need to work on my mechanics but I have the arm strength, the size and the speed. I can extend plays and keep it alive. I know how to make something out of nothing."

I would consider him an option as a 3rd QB, not someone to push Bradford or be a backup in 2015.

 

[SJ76]

I would consider him an option as a 3rd QB, not someone to push Bradford or
be a backup in 2015.

I just said I liked the guy and his skill set. Your point was that he played inferior talent in a weak conference, not the NFL. So did Flacco and Big Ben. They both were a guess, but had good arms.

 

[Red_Chaos]

They were projected 1st rounders. Brandon Bridge is a projected 7th rounder or UDFA. There has NEVER been a player drafted from South Alabama.



I would consider him an option as a 3rd QB, not someone to push Bradford or be a backup in 2015.

thinks he's wrong
searches internet
realizes it was north alabama
admits stupidity

 

[shopson67]

I just said I liked the guy and his skill set. Your point was that he played inferior talent in a weak conference, not the NFL. So did Flacco and Big Ben. They both were a guess, but had good arms.

I don't mean he can't eventually be an NFL QB, but he'll need several years of development before he's ready IMO.